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The combination of skills and experience that Kyler Murray brought with him to the Minnesota Vikings has made him their presumptive starting quarterback for the upcoming season, even though the coaching staff has declared an open competition for the position with JJ McCarthy.
In his first public comments since Murray was cut by the Arizona Cardinals and signed with the Vikings eager to compete, McCarthy sounded like he understood the situation but didn’t necessarily like it.
“Look, the organization made a decision that they think is going to improve the depth and quality of the room,” McCarthy said Wednesday after the first offseason workout that the team opened to reporters.
“All I’m thinking about is continuing the upward trajectory that I set for myself last season – this last quarter of the season – and continuing to be the best version of me every day.”
When asked directly if he was disappointed that the Vikings acquired Murray, McCarthy said: “Then I would be disappointed if the rain fell. That’s out of my control. At the end of the day, I just have to focus on what I can do to be the best quarterback on this football team.”
As for his budding relationship with Murray, McCarthy said there was no awkwardness between them but, of course, he didn’t sound warm about it in his terse response.
“It’s like two guys in a classroom. He sits on one side. I sit on the other side. And it’s the coaches’ responsibility to teach us and coach us,” McCarthy said.
Murray, for his part, was quick to praise the working conditions, which is undoubtedly easier to do as an eighth-year NFL player with several standout seasons on his resume. Murray said McCarthy has been “overly” receptive to his contribution as a veteran with 87 starts.
“We’re both competitors. I know we both want what’s best for the team,” Murray said. “He’s always communicating, asking questions, stuff like that, so it’s been good.”
Murray cleverly avoided any discussion of depth chart expectations. Even with all the assets the Vikings offer — from top-notch facilities to a quarterback-friendly head coach, Kevin O’Connell, to star receiver Justin Jefferson — he probably wouldn’t have chosen Minnesota on a one-year minimum-salary deal if he didn’t think he’d be the starter. Whether the position was promised to him privately or not is of little importance.
“My confidence is unwavering. That’s how I feel,” Murray said. “No matter what happens day to day, I know that the next day I will come here doing my best.”
McCarthy declined to comment on whether he had made any changes to his throwing mechanics, after being dogged by erratic performances during his rocky, injury-plagued debut. However, he has spent a lot of time since the start of the offseason working on the field with Jefferson.
“Just create timely, paced passes for each concept and each route,” McCarthy said. “It’s just great to be with this guy every day.”
When Vikings players reconvened last month to begin the formal offseason workout program, Jefferson spoke candidly to reporters about his excitement about Murray’s arrival — and his expectations for McCarthy’s improvement.
“It’s nice to have some good talent in this room to give a little spark in this room, to see a competitive edge from these guys to lock in and do what we expect them to do, which is to come in and be that guy,” said Jefferson, the two-time All-Pro who is entering his seventh year in the NFL. “We have a lot of talent in this room, especially for JJ to have that spark in him and for Kyler to come from Arizona and continue that spark.”
Assuming Murray wins the job this season, his mobility should open up more space for Jefferson on the court.
“I’m looking forward to his speed, his quickness, his arm strength that he’s shown countless times over the years,” Jefferson said. “For JJ, someone in this room with that type of ability, that type of talent, he’s got to step it up a little bit. So it’s good for him to feel that type of pressure and really lock in a little bit and say, ‘It’s either now or I’m going to take that back seat.'”
Associated Press reporting.
